The key facts

  • The Cemre Foundation plans a campaign involving more than 16,000 volunteers after COP31
  • Foundation chairman Furkan Gökgöz noted high public interest in the public Green Zone
  • In his view, COP31 should be an implementation-oriented summit rather than one focused on declarations

Campaign after the summit

The Turkish environmental foundation Cemre intends to hold a nationwide awareness campaign involving more than 16,000 volunteers after the conclusion of the COP31 climate summit. Foundation chairman Furkan Gökgöz announced this at the summit in Antalya. 'We aim to go door to door, street to street and neighborhood to neighborhood after COP31 to raise awareness,' he said. According to Gökgöz, the foundation has long been preparing for the summit and is presenting its activities at the venue together with volunteers, telling visitors about Turkey's goal of achieving zero emissions by 2053, marine environment protection and the fight against climate change.

Green Zone and citizen participation

Gökgöz emphasized the importance of the summit's public Green Zone for civil society organizations: it makes it possible to explain the course of climate negotiations and the proposed solutions to the general public. 'We made it our mission to bring the masterclasses and discussions from the Blue Zone to society. The interest turned out to be far higher than we expected,' he noted. In his assessment, the high attendance of both zones from the first day of the summit indicates that Turkey is moving toward its goal of hosting one of the most widely attended COP forums: not only scientists and delegates but also ordinary citizens are taking part.

From discussions to action

Gökgöz called on the public to join the foundation's volunteer network, noting that climate change is already affecting everyday life: 'Every rainfall turns into a flood, and every sunny period into a drought.' The foundation combines environmental education with emergency preparedness: it trains search-and-rescue teams and organizes nature camps for volunteers, many of whom are students. In the foundation chairman's opinion, COP31 should go beyond discussing climate commitments: 'Everything that needed to be said about the environment has already been said. We are witnessing the beginning of an action-oriented COP.' He added that if attendance remains high, the summit could prove more influential than previous ones.